Jul. 06, 2004 - 16:52 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Research

Every once in a while an editorial gives me cause to think for myself a bit. Today's editorial by the Rocky Mountain News does such a thing. In full:

Divided over the First Amendment

"A survey conducted two years ago came up with the dismaying finding that the nation was evenly split on the proposition, "The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees." We can perhaps dismiss that as a momentary, if scary, post-9/11 aberration."

"A new survey by the First Amendment Center shows that a reassuring 65 percent of the people thought that the freedoms enumerated at the outset of our Bill of Rights are just fine, while 30 percent still think they go too far."

"Thirty percent is still too many. Who are these people, and more importantly, who taught them American history ? What part of the 215-year-old First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States do they find excessive ? Freedom of religion ? Freedom of speech ? Freedom of assembly ? Freedom of the press ? Freedom to petition Congress ? The Center found that only 1 percent identify petitioning Congress for the redress of grievances as one of their First Amendment rights. Maybe most Americans dont know about that right, but considering the demands they make of Congress they have no problem exercising it."

"While 58 percent knew freedom of the press was a First Amendment right, only a comparative handful between 10 percent and 17 percent, could identify its remaining elements."

"Meanwhile, the ability to identify the other amendments falls off pretty rapidly after the First. The Third says that government can't quarter soldiers in our houses, a big deal in colonial times but not a right many of us need to exercise today."

"But here's a handy mnemonic for the First: -- grievance, religion, assembly, speech and press. Now go forth and be surveyed."

"And while we don't want to skew the results of the Center's next survey, we wish the pollsters would take a rolled-up copy of the Constitution and give a good whack to those respondents who think our First freedoms go too far."

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MY OPINIONS

Seems to me that many cities limit the populace in "freedom to assemble." And, if Ashcroft and the "Homeland" types continue to be successful in their under the counter efforts, our Bill Of Rights will probably go down the tube wholesale. Possibly leading the public to think that such an action will eliminate all possibility of terrorism.

I also take note of the words in the column ."We can perhaps dismiss that as a momentary, if scary, post-9/11 aberration," and further think that is how the "Patriot Act" was allowed to come into being -- preaching panic and danger to us all in our moments of sorrow. I also think the technicolor alerts serve to scare the isht out of many of us and are being used to bolster Bush's campaign.

And quartering of soldiers in private residences could possibly put a scared populace in compliance with that ridiculous arrangement.

I also think that Pastor Niemoller's words may come to life in our country if we don't wake up and make it not so.

Ignorant ? That's me. Guess this man will have to hit the books and answer the call to Research . . . . . . . . .

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